Sunday, September 30, 2007

June, 2008, marks the 80th anniversary of the debut of Superman, created by two guys in the Glenville section of Cleveland. Isn’t it time Cleveland embraced its most famous son?

In all the world, only one city can brag that it is the home of Superman, yet Cleveland is strangely silent. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the character in Glenville where they lived, but there are precious few reminders left today. Even more rare are the city's recognition of the feat.

What would it take to get some kind of celebration going in Cleveland? We have had celebrations with statues of pigs, dogs and guitars all over the place, how about a summer where area artists are invited to create an homage to the Man of Steel in whatever media they like?

Imagine paintings, statues, pictures, films, flags, songs and things my feeble imagination can’t come up with, on display around the city? There could be special exhibits of Superman-related items, an IMAX movie at the Great Lakes Science Center, maybe even a comic book convention like they have in many big cities.

We could have lectures on the importance of Superman to literature and the arts. There could be a Superman tour of Cleveland that would include a drive past Siegel’s old home on Kimberly Avenue. Fans would come from all over to take a moment and look at the house where two young boys created a story about a baby boy who came from far, far away. And consider how that idea has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry.